Who Was Jeffrey Dahmer
Jeffrey Dahmer lived mostly in the state of Wisconsin and was believed to be an alcoholic. He would often pick up young men at or near gay bars, offering them money to pose for nude pictures and to just keep him company. Once at his home he would drug them, then strangle them to death. He committed his first murder when he was only 18 years old. His killing spree would then span thirteen years from 1978 through 1991 when he was finally captured. Dahmer, a Caucasian, killed mostly African-Americans, which is unusually as most serial killers tend to kill within their own ethnic group.
How Many People Did Jeffrey Dahmer Kill?
Dahmer committed his first murder when he was 18. Over the course of thirteen years he would kill an additional 16 men. One of his victims was killed in Ohio, the remainder were all killed in Wisconsin. Dahmer would dismember the bodies of his victims and keep many of the body parts in his home. When police removed the evidence from Dahmer’s home one detective committed it was more like disassembling someone’s private museum than working a crime scene. Dahmer had also been convicted of child molestation, disorderly conduct, and indecent exposure.
What Were Jeffrey Dahmer’s Crimes?
Jeffrey Dahmer was first convicted of the child molestation of a 13-year-old boy. Dahmer had a certain charm and the judge went very lenient giving him a one-year prison sentence, While serving the sentence Dahmer was allowed to go to his normal job during the day, going to prison only at night. The sentence was eventually reduced to just ten months.
In 1982 Dahmer was convicted of indecent exposure. After he was eventually caught in 1991 Dahmer was charged and convicted of 17 counts of murder, sixteen in Wisconsin and one in Ohio. He was found guilty and given seventeen life sentences.
How Was Jeffrey Dahmer Caught?
Dahmer, while intelligent, did make mistakes during his killing spree. One of his victims, a 14 year old boy, who was the brother of one of Dahmer’s earlier victims, escaped from Dahmer’s home. Two women found the young boy, bloody and nude. They called the police and while they were trying to speak with the young boy, who could not speak English, Dahmer approached them. Dahmer convinced the police the boy was actually 19 and was his homosexual lover and they had gotten into a fight. The police apparently did not want to get involved in the domestic issue and allowed Dahmer to take the boy back with him. Dahmer killed the boy a short time later.
In 1991 a second victim escaped and contacted police. He had handcuffs on one hand and claimed Dahmer had been acting strange and threatened him with a large knife. Police took the man to Dahmer’s home to question Dahmer. He told the police the keys to the handcuffs were in the bedroom but the victim told the police that was where the knife was located The police were leery and would not let Dahmer retrieve the keys. Instead one of the officers went to the bedroom to get them. While there he noticed a large number of polaroid pictures of bodies in various states of dismemberment. Dahmer tried to escape but the officers overpowered him and took him into custody. They called for back-up and later found the head of an African-American boy in the refrigerator. They would also find three additional heads in the freezer. When a complete search was made more body parts were found throughout the home. When arrested it was reported Dahmer said he ‘should die’ for what he had done.
How Did Jeffrey Dahmer Die?
Dahmer was convicted of 17 murders and sentences to 17 life sentences. According to prison officials Dahmer adapted well to prison life and was a quiet inmate. On the morning of November 28th, 1994 Dahmer and two other inmates were left unsupervised in the prison shower. During this time Dahmer and another inmate were beaten severely with a metal bar by the third inmate. When guards found Dahmer he was still alive, but he was pronounced dead at a local hospital a short time latter.
Local businessmen in Wisconsin raised $400,000 to purchase all of Dahmer’s personal possessions and the items he used on his victims. They had the items destroyed, hoping to put an end to the legacy of Dahmer and allow their community to heal.